Agenda item

The Committee considered a report outlining the findings of the Carmarthenshire 11-19 Curriculum Review. Members were informed that the Local Authority and Coleg Sir Gâr had jointly commissioned the review as both organisations considered that a shared strategic approach was needed to deliver 11-19 education and training in Carmarthenshire in the future. The recommendations contained within the report set out the actions required to implement the new curriculum and ensure that young people were both well-educated and suitably prepared for the next phase in their lives.

The following issues were discussed during consideration of the report:

Reference was made to the ESTYN Annual Report in 2015 which highlighted the role of schools, colleges and local authorities in working together to develop a curriculum relevant both to learners and the key sectors of the local economy and it was asked what the timescale for this joint working was likely to be. The Director also informed the Committee that it was envisaged that this would be in place by 2021, tying in with the introduction of the new national curriculum. 

It was also suggested that many secondary schools were uneasy at the prospect of losing pupils to Coleg Sir Gâr and it was asked how these proposals could be implemented without creating competition between providers and whether the courses offered by the College would be available through the medium of Welsh? The Learning Transformation Manager informed the Committee both the Local Authority and Coleg Sir Gâr viewed post-16 education in Carmarthenshire as a mixed-economy provision. The Committee was also informed that further education colleges were under more pressure from the Welsh Government to deliver more courses through the medium of Welsh and that Coleg Sir Gâr were working towards this. The Director of Education & Children’s Services noted that the aim of this review and the resulting recommendations was to get rid of any sense of competition between providers and ensure that young people were offered the best provision. He acknowledged the valid concerns of schools but stressed that there was an excellent relationship between the Authority and Coleg Sir Gâr in respect of post-16 provision. However, he noted that no one college or secondary school would be able to offer every possible subject or combination of subjects in the future and therefore, partnership working was essential.

Members welcomed the report and the context and whilst the list of all the relevant strategies past and present, was also appreciated, it was felt that the inclusion of more data on young people’s destinations after compulsory full-time education would have been beneficial (e.g. those going on to university, further education colleges or those becoming NEET). The Learning Transformation Manager welcomed the comments and stated that such data was readily available and that he would be happy to present such information to members at a future meeting.

Disappointment was expressed that whilst the report emphasised the importance of economic and social matters, there was no clear mention or focus on the Welsh language and no reference to the language in any of the recommendations. The Head of Learner Programmes reassured the Committee that the Welsh language was very much at the forefront of this work and enjoyed a prominent position within the overall policy context of this review. He noted that nationally, one of Donaldson’s eight ‘building blocks’ included Welsh receiving a rightful place within the curriculum and that on a local level, the County’s 14-19 Welsh-Medium Education Partnership promoted and supported the language in the education sector. The Committee was also informed that Coleg Sir Gâr now had a Welsh language development officer who was actively working within the College to promote the use of the language. The Head of Learner Programmes also referred to recommendation 10 in the report which proposed that the Local Authority, Coleg Sir Gâr and the wider learning partnership ‘implement a programme of blended and e-learning learning to deliver the 16-19 curriculum in low take-up AS and A Level subjects in both Welsh and English (from September 2017)’. He explained that there was work on-going to develop a flexible learning package that could allow pupils to follow a particular course through the medium of Welsh, even if numerically, there was little demand for it. This could be done in partnership with other providers and utilising online technology for example. The Learning Transformation Manager added that the report could be amended in light of the Committee’s comments.  

It was asked how schools were expected to keep track of all the different strategies (as referred to in the report) and ensure that they were meeting the different requirements placed upon them by national and local government, especially as curriculum was constantly being changed and amended. The Learning Transformation Manager acknowledged that this was a point well-made and it highlighted the key role which the Authority had in assisting and supporting schools in the implementation of all these strategies. The Director of Education & Children’s Services added that in the past there had been a great deal of frustration as schools often operated in isolation. However, the new curriculum offered an opportunity to create a coherent education system for all schools but that input from schools themselves was a key element in the development of this process.

Clarification was sought as to the role of the Swansea Bay City Region and what collaboration was taking place with other partners. The Learning Transformation Manager stated that on a local level, officers in the Education & Children’s Services Department worked closely with colleagues in the Regeneration & Policy Division on matters such as careers / World of Work schemes. The Director of Education & Children confirmed that the Authority was working on a regional basis and acknowledged that the Swansea Bay City Region was taking on an increasing importance as it sought to stimulate and define the economy of the whole area. It was important that the Authority was aware of the types of skills the regional economy would require in the future and that children and young people were being prepared for the jobs of the future. He added that this was a key role for the Regional Learning & Skills Partnership, a sub-group of the City Region.

In response to a question on funding for schools, the Learning Transformation Manager informed the Committee that in September 2014, the Welsh Government had implemented a new planning and funding system for post-16 education in school sixth forms. The new system brought funding allocations for schools’ sixth forms into line with the arrangements for Further Education colleges and Work Based Learning. As of September 2016 however, Welsh Government were now proposing that funding would be based upon programmes of learning rather than qualifications, with each programme having a defined purpose and outcome against which it would be monitored. This now required the Local Authority to plan ahead as well as co-ordinate the delivery of sixth form provision, ensure that duplication of provision was avoided and that the courses provided met local and regional economic priorities. Officers had been undertaking preparatory work with secondary schools to prepare for the new funding system. He informed the Committee that during the transitional period, the Authority was using a funding model based on pupil numbers and funding uplifts for Welsh-medium provision, sparsity and rurality, factors that had been agreed with the secondary school head teachers.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Carmarthenshire 11-19 Curriculum Review be endorsed for consideration by the Executive Board.